And supporting device



' 0. B. GASTON. v TRUNK TRAY ELEVATING AND SUPPORTING DEVICE.

(N0 ModeL) Patented Dec. 23, 1890.

FIG 3 J. is n2?) 2 UNITED STATES 'Arnrvr OFFICE.

OLIVER l3. GASTON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSlG-NOR TO SARAH A. GASTON, OF SAME PLACE.

TRUNK-TRAY ELEVATING AND SUPPORTING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATTON forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 443,436, dated December 23, 1890.

Application filed August 31, 1889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER B. GASTON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Trunk- Tray Elevating and Supporting Device, of

'which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement upon a device upon which Letters Patent of the United States No. 305,069, dated September 16, 1884, were granted me, and I have indicated in oneof the figures of the drawings the parts that constitute the original device and the parts that constitute the improvement on the same. Both are pointed out and described more fully hereinafter.

My invention is a. device, first, for guiding the tray of a trunk While it is being elevated or lifted out of the body or bottom of the trunk into an elevated horizontal position partially within the lid when the latter is open; second, for taking at first part and finally all of the weight of the tray and contents when being thus elevated or lifted, and, third, for supporting the tray securelyin that horizontal elevated position in such a manner as to allow easy and unrestricted access to both tray and trunk at one and the same time. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device complete for the right-hand end of a trunk, all the parts connected and ready to be fitted and secured to the end of a trunk, and the corresponding end of its tray. A similar combination of parts connected together in the reverse or left-hand way is required for the other end of the trunk. Fig. 2 is an end view or end elevation of the device, with the parts disconnected and slightly separated for the purpose of showing more clearly their relative position. Fig. 3 gives a perspective view of an open trunk with the device fitted and secured, all complete and in working order.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

The original invention referred to hereinbefore was made up of all the parts shown in Serial lie. 822,610. (No model.)

Fig. l to the right of the dotted line A B namely, the upright plate D, secured on the inside of the end of the trunk and projecting above it, the radius-bar F, pivoted or pinned to the plate D at and having motion around the center K, the lid-brace C, pivoted or pinned also at K, and the small plate M, pivoted or pinned in like manner at the upper end of the radius-bar and firmly fastened to the end ofthe tray. Vith this arrangement it was necessary to keep a firm hold of the tray while raising it and to provide small fittings and supports within the lid for the back part of the tray. In the new invention these and other objections have been overcome, first, by duplicating the plate D by the addition of the plate T and uniting the two plates into one; second, by adding another radius-bar V, pinning or pivoting it at L at the upper end or part of the plate T as the radius-bar F is pinned or pivoted at K, and, third, duplicating the plate M by the addition of the plate N, which is to serve for the radius-bar V the same purpose as the plate M does for the radius-bar F and uniting the two plates into one, thus Eormin g narrow plate M N, as shown. This plate M N serves two important purposes, namely: It is a convenient means for securing the device to the tray and it keeps the upper or tray ends of the radius-bars always at a fixed distance aparta distance equal to that between the centers K and L. The plate D T is secured on the inside of the end of the trunk, so as to project above it a short distance, a distance affected more or less by the depth of the lid, and at or near the back of the trunk, and the plate M N is secured to the corresponding end of the tray and near the front of it. The lid-brace 0 holds the lid open in a position a little beyond the vertical by means of a button-head or T- head screw or pin, which is secured on and projects from the inside of the end of the lid, and which travels in the slot of the brace as the latter swings around the center K with theraising or lowering of the lid. The radius-bars F and V are of the same length and the same distance apart at each end; therefore they are always parallel, and the tray is in consequence always kept in a horizontal position. It is obvious that as the tray rises the weight of it comes more and more on the radius-bars until in their vertical position they assume the whole of it, and as it is designed to have the radius-bars go slightly beyond their vertical position before the tray settles into its elevated place in the lid, and as the center of gravity of the tray is then considerably back of the center of support, it is also evident that there is no tendency of the tray to come forward, and it is therefore secure and well supported in its elevated position unless intentionally disturbed. For further security a short strap of some flexible or elastic material may be secured inside the edge of the lid-front, and, when required, fasten over a button. knob, or hook on the top of thetray.

The plate I) T, and all the other parts of the device as well, should be thin, light, and flat, and may be made of cast, malleable, or wrought metal, preferably of the last named, and it may be secured directly against the inside of the end of the trunk, or a recess or depression maybe made for it. In the latter case a corresponding recess must be made in the end of the lid to allow the latter to close down into place. \Vhen a recess is not used, it is necessary to have a little space between each end of the trunk and the tray when the latter is in its place in thebodyof the trunk, so as to allow freedom of action to all. the moving parts.

\Vood-screws, clout -nails, rivets, or any similar means may be employed to secure the device to the trunk and tray.

I am aware that there have been other inventious with a similar or partially-similar object in view, such as devices that require the division of the tray into sections and the lifting of these sections separately, or hinging the tray in such a manner that it can be lifted either with or without the lid, as desired; but I know of none designed for or capable of lifting an entire fnll-sized tray up to the highest attainable position theopenlid will admit of and maintaining the tray always in ahorizontal position, excepting the invention of G. S. \Yillits, to whom and for which were granted Letters Patent of the United States numbered 290,380, dated December 18, 1883; but as my invention is constructed in a different and simpler way, and 011 an entirely different principle; therefore,

\Vhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In trunks provided with a movable tray, a swinging frame, one at each end of the tray, for raising and supporting the tray when the lid of the trunk is thrown back, consisting, of parallel bars F V, pivoted at their lower ends to brackets I) T, secured to the ends of the trunk and rising above its edges, said bars F V being pivoted at their upper ends to the ends of transverse bars M N, by which the tray is whollysupported, the bracket D being connected by a slotted brace C with the lid of the trunk, substantially as shown and described.

()LIYICI't l3. (-iAS'lON'.

Witnesses:

Gno. WILLi'rs, A. E. NASH. 

